NFL shoulddo right thing

The NFL late last week agreed to spend $765 million to diagnose and compensate retired players who say they suffer brain disorders from collisions on the gridiron. Approximately 18,000 former NFL players now stand to receive compensation from the league for the blows they took during their careers. But the money is not nearly enough.

In fact, $765 million dollars is a drop in the bucket when compared to the league's $9 billion annual revenue.

The settlement is good in one sense: Many of these players need the financial relief that the settlement will bring now, not in the distant future when a long drawn-out court case would end. But the NFL should have gone much farther, not only for the sake of doing the right thing, but for the future of the individuals who make the league and team owners extraordinarily wealthy.

What the agreement does not contain is of interest to fans and anyone else interested in justice and in the future of the game.

The NFL accepts no blame for injuries suffered by their former players. "The settlement does not represent, and cannot be considered, an admission by the NFL of liability, or an admission that plaintiffs' injuries were caused by football." Maybe that's just boilerplate, but no one who has ever watched the game has any doubt about where at least part of blame lies.

The NFL originally asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuits and send them to arbitration under terms of the players' contract. In fact, in April the NFL sought to have the court case dismissed, claiming that individual teams have the responsibility for health and safety of players under the collective bargaining agreement. They said the same about the the players' union and the players themselves. According to the league, everyone had responsibility but the league itself.

Money will not make this problem disappear, and it is unsavory that the league hid what it knew - that concussions caused long-term damage - from the players who fueled their very profitable business.

The settlement will certainly help those already damaged by the league's not-so benign neglect. But if the league believes that this settlement is the end of the matter, it should think again. Until the league gets serious about the development and use of safer equipment, the problem will remain.

And the longer these brain-damaging collisions continue, parents will think twice about letting their kids suit up in youth leagues, in high school and in college. And once that happens the NFL's veritable license to print money may soon expire.

Doing the right thing ought to compel the league to share what it knows and to invest more heavily in developing safer helmets.

Coaches want players to give their all. We want the NFL to do the same.

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NFL shoulddo right thing

The NFL late last week agreed to spend $765 million to diagnose and compensate retired players who say they suffer brain disorders from collisions on the gridiron.

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